The Good Country

There are about 195 countries in the world. Each nation is mostly ruled by a small group that controls a large share of the wealth and power. This description fits dictatorships, Marxist or Fascist regimes, kingdoms, Denmark and capitalist democracies in general. 

In the better nations ordinary people have some power, but there is no country where classes of people share wealth or power evenly. 

All countries protect their ruling class, but some counties are easier than others to live in.

Systematic control is baked-in to 195  nations. In America if a late night comic annoys the 1%, a rich man will buy the corporation that owns the corporation that owns the TV network, then fire the comic. If a news show runs the wrong expose, a billionaire will buy the network and hire a woman to fire any woman who disagrees with plutocrats.  

It's all legal in the system we created. So far it's not up for discussion. 

  

Psychotic

 

Donald Trump, now comparing himself to Jesus, Napoleon and Alexander the Great, has lost more of his connection to reality.

If, as expected, the Democrats win the House in the next election, our president will become more frustrated than he is now.  Trump is delusional. His thinking is disorganized. He does not grasp that some of his experiences aren't real. He listens to no advisor. 

Our flimsy media continue to talk politics as usual, speculating about who can flip what seat, when faced with madness and a possible disaster.

Walter

 My father's uncle and aunt, Frank and Peg Dezarn, raised an adopted son, Walter Bligh  (or Bly). In World War II he was shot down by the  Japanese over Borneo. 

I was probably about seven the last time I saw Walter. I don't remember what he was like, but I must be the last person who does remember him. 

Vet

Vet, my great-grandfather, an iron monger I barely remember, believed that a hospital was a place you went to die. 

When he was very old, he began to have trouble breathing. His two daughters and ancient wife from Westmeath decided to drive him over to Las Campanas, a private hospital on Compton Boulevard. Margaret, my mother, had worked there as a receptionist, and I had been born there. 

Vet refused to go, but the three women pushed the old fellow into their car. Vet began pleading through the window, asking my mother to save him. 

My young mother had no say in the matter. Vet ended up in the hospital, where he died. She never forgave herself. As Voltaire put it, each of us is guilty of all the good he did not do. 

I recently tried to learn what had happened to Las Companas hospital, which had included a locally famous drug treatment sanitarium. I used the tools available, including a form of artificial intelligence, but ended up with nothing but a photograph of the place taken in 1940 and a sentence saying the property had been turned into a subdivision.

sizes

  

America's tallest president was Lincoln. At 6'4" He loomed above Lyndon Johnson, our number two. Third tallest is Donald Trump, listed at 6'3".  Compare that to Xi Jinping, leader of China, listed at 5'9" to 5'11".

Last week we saw Trump and Xi side by side on television. They looked about the same.  Xi seemed a hair or two taller than Trump.  Xi must actually be 6'3" or 6'4", not 5'9".  The Chinese have misled us. There's no other explanation.

By the way, Winston Churchill was  5'6" around the waist. 

Xi Jinping

China

175–180 cm (5′9″–5′11″)

Kim Jong Un

North Korea

163–170 cm (5′4″–5′7″)

List the American presidents by height

Here are the U.S. presidents generally ranked by height (tallest to shortest). Heights are based on historical records and may vary slightly by source.

1. Abraham Lincoln — 6'4" (193 cm)
2. Lyndon B. Johnson — 6'3½" (192 cm)
3. Donald Trump — 6'3" (191 cm)
4. Thomas Jefferson — 6'2½" (189 cm)
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt — 6'2" (188 cm)
6. George H. W. Bush — 6'2" (188 cm)
7. Bill Clinton — 6'2" (188 cm)
8. Chester A. Arthur — 6'2" (188 cm)
9. Andrew Jackson — 6'1" (185 cm)
10. George Washington — 6'1" (185 cm)
11. Ronald Reagan — 6'1" (185 cm)
12. Barack Obama — 6'1" (185 cm)
13. George W. Bush — 5'11½" (182 cm)
14. Gerald Ford — 6'0" (183 cm)
15. Joe Biden — 6'0" (183 cm)
16. John F. Kennedy — 6'0" (183 cm)
17. Calvin Coolidge — 5'10" (178 cm)
18. Woodrow Wilson — 5'11" (180 cm)
19. Richard Nixon — 5'11" (180 cm)
20. Jimmy Carter — 5'10½" (179 cm)
21. Harry S. Truman — 5'9" (175 cm)
22. Dwight D. Eisenhower — 5'10½" (179 cm)
23. Theodore Roosevelt — 5'10" (178 cm)
24. Grover Cleveland — 5'11" (180 cm)
25. James Madison — 5'4" (163 cm)

Shortest president:

• James Madison — 5'4" (163 cm)

Tallest president:

• Abraham Lincoln — 6'4" (193 cm)

A commonly noted trend is that modern presidents tend to be taller than average for their era, and taller candidates have often had an advantage in televised elections.

Here’s a list of well-known current and recent world political leaders sorted roughly by height (tallest to shortest). Heights are approximate because official figures sometimes vary by source.

Leader	Country	Height
Aleksandar Vučić	Serbia	198–199 cm (6′6″)
Donald Trump	United States	190 cm (6′3″)
Justin Trudeau	Canada	188 cm (6′2″)
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan	Turkey	185 cm (6′1″)
Barack Obama	United States	185 cm (6′1″)
Joe Biden	United States	182 cm (5′11½″)
Xi Jinping	China	175–180 cm (5′9″–5′11″)
Boris Johnson	United Kingdom	175 cm (5′9″)
Emmanuel Macron	France	173–177 cm (5′8″–5′9½″)
Fumio Kishida	Japan	173 cm (5′8″)
Vladimir Putin	Russia	170 cm (5′7″)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy	Ukraine	170 cm (5′7″)
Narendra Modi	India	170 cm (5′7″)
Rishi Sunak	United Kingdom	170 cm (5′7″)
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva	Brazil	168 cm (5′6″)
Kim Jong Un	North Korea	163–170 cm (5′4″–5′7″)
Michael D. Higgins	Ireland	160 cm (5′3″)

Some famous historical leaders by height:

Historical Leader	Height
Abraham Lincoln	193 cm (6′4″)
Charles de Gaulle	196 cm (6′5″)
Fidel Castro	190 cm (6′3″)
Winston Churchill	168 cm (5′6″)
Napoleon Bonaparte	168–170 cm (5′6″–5′7″)
Benito Juárez	~137–150 cm (4′6″–4′11″, disputed)

Sources compiled from public comparisons and political height databases.

Candidates

 The DSA of Sonoma County, a chapter of the political organization supported by Bernie Sanders, AOC and New York City Mayor Mamdani, has sorted out some of the candidates in the June election. Their recommendations and reasoning are quoted below.

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This voter guide is intended to help Sonoma County DSA members and allies make informed decisions when they go to the ballot box for the June 2nd primary election. Our recommendations are voted on by the electoral committee, which is open to all members. If you want to get involved in future elections work, please join a meeting or chime in on Discord!

In this guide, we are focused primarily on local offices and measures where we believe our recommendations can have the biggest impact. We know it can be hard to find meaningful background and context for small local races, and have attempted to provide it here. We have a special excitement for the District 2 County Supervisor race where our endorsed candidate Joanna Paun is running!

Where relevant, we’ve covered several races for state office, though State Offices are covered by California DSA as well. We urge you to check out the California DSA voter guide to learn more.

County Offices

SoCo DSA Endorses: Joanna Paun for County Supervisor, 2nd District

We are proud to share that Joanna Paun, the grassroots pick for 2nd District County Supervisor, is a SoCo DSA member and our first endorsed candidate! A democratic socialist running on progressive policies and a people-first approach to politics, she has an impressive background and is backed by the people, not regional corporate interests. She has earned endorsements from many other local progressive organizations and people, including: SEIU 1021, California Working Families Party, Teamsters Local 665, and CA Assembly Members Damon Connolly and Chris Rogers.

Paun currently serves as a Petaluma School Board Trustee and works as Sonoma County’s foster and homeless youth education coordinator. A mother of four, she has been a Petaluma resident for 20 years, and has a professional background in counseling.

In brief, some of Paun’s progressive priorities include:

Ending Sonoma County's cooperation with ICE
Lowering the cost of living and delivering affordable housing
Fixing our roads, waterlines, and aging infrastructure
Safeguarding health care and hospitals from the Trump administration’s funding cuts Improving mental health care services in schools

Context and Policies

Sonoma County needs a County Supervisor that prioritizes the safety of all residents. Joanna Paun is the only District 2 candidate committed to ending Sonoma County’s cooperation with ICE, which the current Board of Supervisors has refused to do. At present, Chris Coursey (District 3) is the only supervisor in support of publicly asking for non-cooperation. If we elect Joanna Paun and Melanie Bagby to office, three out of five supervisors in 2027, a majority, will be in agreement on this.

Paun’s campaign intends to address a catalog of other important issues impacting our county. She has committed to address the housing crisis by building affordable housing in the district. She intends to link county funds and services to public schools in the community, easing the burden on schools struggling to provide these services to at-risk youth. In a breath of fresh air compared to current District 2 Supervisor Rabbit’s accountability issues, Paun is committed to open and accessible meetings with the community in order to bring transparency to local decision-making.

Opponents

There are three other competitors in the race: John King and Shelina Moreda, whose campaigns lean conservative, and Sylvia Lemus, who is also running a left-leaning campaign (with several important caveats).

Although Lemus has a somewhat progressive background as Cotati’s mayor, she entered the race only after being recruited by Rob Muelrath, a political consultant and corporate lobbyist finagling tax breaks and labor loopholes for corporations such as Walmart, Dutra, and PG&E. Some local discussions have characterized Lemus as the more experienced candidate due to her time as mayor of Cotati. As regards this claim, we would like to note that Joanna Paun’s seven years of experience on the Petaluma School Board (versus Lemus’s four years as mayor) means she has spent nearly twice as much time in local government making decisions about a school system with a budget several times that of the town of Cotati.

Of note regarding the conservative candidates in the race: King unequivocally supports Sonoma County’s cooperation with ICE. Moreda’s constant punting on issues and odd decision to lie about her age to the Press Democrat reveal her to be obfuscatory about her background and policy goals.

SoCo DSA Recommends: Melanie Bagby for County Supervisor, 4th District

The only candidate taking a firm stance against the Trump administration, endorsed by the North Bay Labor Council, SEIU, Working Families Party, Latino PAC of Sonoma County, and Sonoma County Conservation Action. She has progressive goals aiming for a sustainable environment and economy.

Bagby’s priorities include:

Protect our community and immigrant neighbors from Trump administration policies Defend voter-approved civilian oversight of law enforcement.
Build mutual-aid capacity for climate resilience and disaster response
Lead on the housing crisis and homelessness, water security, clean energy, and transportation

Champion family agriculture, local food systems, small business, and job training

Competitors

Bagby’s opponents are Todd Lands and Tom Schwedhelm. Both are retired Law Enforcement officers (Sonoma Sheriff & Santa Rosa Police) endorsed by big ag, big business, and policing- related organizations, such as the Cloverdale and Santa Rosa Police Officers’ Associations respectively. These candidates’ backgrounds in policing suggest that they would be unlikely to implement oversight of the Sheriff’s office.

State Office

SoCo DSA Recommends: Jackie Elward for Member of the State Assembly, 12th District

Jackie Elward is running a progressive campaign with addressing the climate crisis and defending our communities from the Trump administration top of the list. She has served as mayor and vice-mayor of Rohnert Park, and is a proud labor organizer, educator, and immigrant. Her impressive achievements in Rohnert Park local government include establishing housing-first solutions to homelessness and increasing building of affordable homes.

Among other progressive policies, Elward supports:

Universal healthcare
Expansion of Medicare within California Affordable housing
Anti-ICE

In a field filled with candidates clamoring for the title of “progressive,” Jackie stands head and shoulders above her opponents on the issues true progressives care about. She has gained endorsements from the Working Families Party, the North Bay Labor Council, the California Federation of Labor Unions, along with many other progressive organizations.

Competitors

Elward has four competitors running as Democrats. Several of these competitors support Israel despite the genocide in Gaza and current invasion of Lebanon, which runs counter to our values in the DSA. As the world’s fourth largest economy, California has the ability to help end these actions by divesting and sanctioning Israel for its actions. Electing politicians who oppose Israel’s actions takes us a step further towards ending the atrocities and achieving justice for its victims.

Eric Lucan, the most viable candidate running against Elward, is supported by corporate democrats such as Adam Schiff and Jared Huffman. He has been unwilling to criticize Israel’s numerous and recent war-crimes, and has been skittish about calling the genocide in the Gaza Strip what it is: a genocide. Though he pays lip service to progressive ideals, especially in regards to LGBTQ rights, he does not support universal healthcare and leans more toward austerity measures than taxing the wealthy.

Ballot Measures

Depending on where you live, several ballot measures related to school district funding and SMART train funding may be on your ballot. We recommend the following:

Measure A - Vote YES

Renews the previously approved educational parcel tax of $89 per year per parcel to provide funding for the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. Maintains locally-controlled funding without increasing tax rates to keep the schools running smoothly. Voting yes maintains this important source of funding for our schools, which brings in $1,300,000 annually. Funding for local public education is important!

Measure B - Vote YES

Renews the previously approved 1⁄4 cent sales tax for 30 years to fund the SMART train and bicycle/pedestrian pathway services. This measure extends an important, existing tax that allows SMART—essential infrastructure for seniors, youth, essential workers, and low-income households—to maintain service for Sonoma county residents.

Measure C - Vote YES

Adopts an educational parcel tax of $49 per year per parcel to provide funding for the Bellevue Union School District. Provides funding for STEM programs, library programs, and maintains arts and phys ed programs. Voting yes creates a vital source of locally-controlled funding and will raise $350,000 annually.

Other Recommendations

California DSA recommends several state assembly and state senate candidates with strong progressive values and backgrounds. While not locally relevant, we do recommend you read the CA DSA voter guide for the following candidates:

Chris Rogers - Member of the State Assembly, 2nd district Audrey Denney - United States Representative, CA-1 Damon Connolly - State Senate, District 2

Reconstruction

Once President Grant left office, Southern whites immediately suppressed black voters, murdering defiant people and instituting Jim Crow laws that lasted about 100 years.

We are now reverting to Jim Crow in most but not all red states, still fighting over who won the Civil War. The morons on the Supreme Court made this bigotry legal, but the erring red states did not have to bring back Jim Crow. They recognized the opportunity and volunteered. 

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Fletcherism

In an effort to gain attention (maybe, who knows), I began eating too fast. The result was that my throat would fill up with half-chewed food, creating a blockage at about the collarbone level. I'd have to go someplace and throw up. 

Today I met with my doctor's assistant, a fine person, and she listened as I described how I could cure my problem by adopting the tenets of Fletcherism. I had encountered the orations of Horace Fletcher early in life, and now was the time to use what I knew.  

Around 1900, Fletcher had made a good living by touring the world and explaining to people how to chew food. 

I explained to my patient PA that what I need to do on the future is chew each bite of food 32 to 100 times, until it liquifies.  I can rely on saliva to break down food. The longer I chew, the longer the taste will last. It's a win-win. 

Okay, Horace Fletcher was cracked, but he was more or less right. 

You can find him on YouTube.

How We Learn

The more important things you learn in life, you learn on your own. No one taught you that physical objects exist . No music teacher told you that it's okay to stare at a charming person if he's playing the ukulele.